The Consequences of an Uncontrolled Ego An Analysis of the Theme of “The Cask of Amontillado” “He had a weak point—this Fortunato—although in other regards he was a man to be respected and even feared. He prided himself upon his connoisseurship in wine.” (Poe 108)…
The Cask of Amontillado Essay Examples and Topics
by Edgar Allan Poe
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“The Cask of Amontillado” and The Count of Monte Cristo both have various ways to show how the theme of revenge is betrayed in the text. In the short story “The Cask of Amontillado”, Poe starts off by showing us how our protagonist, Montressor acts…
Edgar Allan Poe an American famous writer was born on January 19, 1809, has many famous literately works like his poem “The Raven” and his famous short story “The Fall of the House of Usher,”. Besides his, a famous horror short story ‘’The Cask of…
Left for dead, drunk, in the deep catacombs, surrounded by six million dead corpses, perfectly stacked for two hundred miles. No one would want to be in this claustrophobic situation which would frighten anyone to death, let alone read about it. It might be easy…
This paper argues that the main purpose of the short story ”The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Alan Poe is to mystify the reader, encourage them to think and speculate on what actually takes place in the short story. To achieve his goal, the author…
In Edgar Allan Poe’s story, ”The Cask of Amontillado,” the narrator, Montresor, lures down his archenemy, the wine connoisseur Fortunato, into the catacombs under his palazzo to taste a wine called ’Amontillado,’. As the story continues, the very deceptive Montresor buries his former friend, Fortunato,…
I consider Beowulf to be more than just a good hero. I consider Beowulf to be an amazing hero in the poem. To me, a true hero or heroine possesses many characteristics that really describes who they are. Beowulf possesses many characteristics including courage, loyalty,…
“The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge.” This is the beginning of Edgar Allen Poe’s short story The Cask of Amontillado. the story is on the dispute and cold-blooded murder between…
Edgar Allen Poe’s short story “The Cask of Amontillado” is the story of a man named Mont Montresor who decides to seek revenge against a man named Fortunato, who has insulted him. He meets Fortunato at a carnival, lures him into the catacombs of his…
Poe’s awareness of the consciousness of the masses compelled him to take their ideology as a manipulable fiction and insinuate it in his authorial narration. As Greenblatt states, great writers are the great manipulators of the existent symbolic economy of their culture. As they construct…
In the story “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allen Poe there is an intense use of symbolism that is dark, twisted and has some mystery to it. The story is written in first person, from the perspective of Montresor who is seeking revenge against…
Many people who have been crossed in some way harbor thoughts of revenge, but the majority of people never act them out. While revenge can be a great motivator for violence, some instances are not as they appear, such as in Poe’s telling of a…
Edgar Allan Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado is not only an appalling story, but one that turned my head within the first few sentences. It revolves around Montresor, the antagonist who grows infatuated with the insults his fellow colleague, Fortunato has laid upon him. Montresor…
The Evil Inside “Pay attention…Sometimes it’s the person giving you the medicine who’s making you sick” (Maraboli). Looks are not always what they appear just as Steve Maraboli mentions in the quote above. While you may think a person has your best interest at heart,…
“The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allen Poe is about young Montresor planning revenge against someone who wronged him. This story talks place in Italy during a carnival. Montresor meets Fortunato and tells him he has Amontillado. Then Fortunato agrees and goes down to Montresor’s…
Best topics on The Cask of Amontillado
Some literature is eternal in academic circles, and The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe could easily be characterized as such. This is a short horror story that unravels
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the human psyche.
Writing on such a unique and small piece of literature might seem easy, but when there are so many things you could write about, it’s hard to find a structure for you’re the Cask of Amontillado essay.
This story was first published in 1845 in an issue of Godey’s Lady’s Book. The story is set in an Italian city at carnival time (the name of the city is unknown, and so is the year), and it is about a man that takes a revenge on a friend that insulted him.
If you’ve read other stories by Poe, you might have encountered a similar narrative – a person being buried alive. The two other stories where the narrator is the murderer, often compared with each other in a comparison or analysis essay, are “The Black Cat” and “The Tell-Tale Heart”.
In the story, Montesor invites his friend Fortunato to sample amontillado to the family vaults i.e. catacombs. This is a trap and in the story, 50 years have passed and the body of Fortunato has never been disturbed.
While to some it seems that the reasons for revenge are unclear in this story, and argue that Montesor is insane, Poe leaves some clues about his history. He portraits a history where Montesor’s family dies prior to the time of the story, and he blames his friend for it.
So, what does a student write about when tasked to review this short story? Even though it is short, it has many elements, symbols, as well as an intriguing story in it.
This story has been adapted several times over the years, which opens up even more essay topics for you to tackle in your essay. You can speak of different adaptations of the original and compare them, or compare Poe’s stories with this one.
Even though the subject matter of the story is a murder, this is not a tale of detection like in some other stories. Your paper can compare The Cask of Amontillado with “The Purloined Letter”, where there is an investigation in the crime and the criminal.
Another good idea is to try to solve the mystery i.e. pose some ideas of what might have been the reason behind the revenge. You can also research the main character and his actions, and try to determine what prompted him to take such action.
There are so many options for you to choose from, but hopefully the essay examples here will help you get some ideas. You can also go through our The Cask of Amontillado summary to learn more about the symbolism in the short story.
By reading our essays that compare different Poe stories, analyze the moral dilemma in the piece, or speak of the murders and imagery in it, you can get inspired on what to write about and how to start. Take a look at our topic sentence, how we introduce the topic, and how we argue points of views and ideas without re-telling the entire piece.
Date
November 1846
Author
Edgar Allan Poe
Type
Short story
Genre
Horror
Major Characters
Montresor, Fortunato
Based on
Symbols / Motives
Murder, crime, mystery, murder motive, revenge, punishment
Inspiration
Poe’s personal rival, Thomas Dunn English, published a revenge-based novel in 1846 (the novel was called 1844). It made references to secret societies, which Poe used in this short story. In addition, the author may have been inspired by the Washingtonian movement - a group of reformed drinkers.
Plot
The story is set at carnival time in an unspecified Italian town. It’s about a man murdering a friend out of revenge for an insult. The insult and injuries that led to this event aren’t named, and that’s the element of mystery in the story’s plot. Montresor lures the fellow nobleman (Fortunato) to join him on a private wine-tasting excursion. In one moment, Montresor hesitates and suggests going back, but Fortunato wants to continue the tour.
Montresor murders Fortunato by chaining him to the wall and entoming him alive.
Why Is This Topic Important?
It’s an interesting mystery that invites the reader to think about a murder’s motives. Poe doesn’t provide much context for the murder’s motives. The reader is left to explore the character’s personality and gestures and assume what led to the grotesque murder scene.
Main Ideas
Where does the idea and willpower for murder come from? A simple matter can be exaggerated so much in a person’s head that it can lead them to horrific acts.
Key Quotes
- “A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong.”
- “My heart grew sick - on account of the dampness of the catacombs. I hastened to make an end of my labour. I forced the last stone into its position; I plastered it up. Against the new masonry I re-erected the old rampart of bones. For the half of a century no mortal has disturbed them. In pace requiescat!”
Interesting Facts
Connoisseurs of Poe’s life and work believe he’s been experienced in bricklaying himself. It’s unclear what he did after leaving the periodical he worked at. A source revealed that he’s been working in a brickyard.
Arguments For
The short story is an excellent representative of the horror genre. Poe was a masterful writer, who carries the reader through the murder’s psyche.
Arguments Against
It’s a deeply disturbing story, so not everyone will enjoy it.
